AKRancMter Farming, Saturday, March 1, 1997 OPINION History Not To Be Repeated The avian influenza scare is always with us. The most recent wakeup call came late last year and early this month when, first a dealer/hauler poultry operator working in the New York, New Jersey markets depopulated his flock and then, more recently, a commercial 123,500-bird layer flock was depopulated. While it was determined in both cases, that it was a non pathogenic strain of avian influenza (and as such an official “non event”), the owners voluntarily took steps to protect other flocks, just in case. This was certainly commendable, especially when you consider the large loss the process represents to the flock owners. But for all owners of poultry flocks, an A.I surveillance must continue. It is more important than ever to observe increased biosecurity to decrease the risks of crossover contamination. Unauthorized people must be kept out of poultry buildings. Boots must be clean and disinfected before entering and leaving build ings. Do not visit other farms or use other equipment from other farms, and carefully log visits to and from your farm. John Schwartz, Lancaster County agent says the cost of quar antines and depopulation is very expensive and often very emo tional. So the goal of biosecurity is to keep germs away from your birds and animals and to keep your birds and animals away from germs. We believe a continuing awareness of the A.I. threat is essen tial if we arc going to maintain a viable poultry industry. We can not forget the lessons we learned ten years ago when A.I. wiped out many poultry operations. Former Lancaster County Agent, Jay Irwin brings us back to the heart of the matter. He says the losses experienced by growers in the mid-1980’s caused tragedies and heartbreak that you could see in the eyes of the people involved. This bit of history is one we don’t want to see repeating itself. Wyoming/Lackawannc Holstein Association Annual Meeting, Meshoppen United Methodist Church, Meshoppen, 7:45 p.m. Philadelphia Flower Show, Phi ladelphia Convention Center, through March 9. Working Together for an Organic Garden State Annual Winter Conference, Cook College, Rutgers University, Brunswick, N.J., 8:30 a.m.- 6 pan. Western Pa. Gardening and Land scaping Symposium, Pitts burgh Civic Garden Center, Pittsburgh. Maryland Jersey Cattle Club Annual meeting. Wood boro Activities Building, Woodsbor o, Md., 9:30 a.m. Lancaster Poultry Association serves food at Water Street Rescue Mission, Noon. “Identifying Trees in Winter,” County Office Building, Con ference Room, Montrose, 10 ha Environmental Center, Westminster, Md., noon to 5 Pest Control in the Home and Gar den Seminar, County Annex Building, Pleasant Acres Road, York, 6 p.m.-9;30 p.m. Also March 25 and April 1. Octorara Young Farmers Associa tion Annual Banquet, West Fal lowfleld Christian School, 6:45 Safe and Successful Field Trips, Lebanon County Extension Office, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. (Turn to Page A4l) Editor: Agriculture is Maryland’s num ber one industry contributing greatly to our economic well-be ing and excellent quality of life. It provides all Marylanders with a bounty of wholesome food, as well as maintaining open space with its forests and farms for all to enjoy. As I travel around the state and meet with farm groups, I find one of the foremost concerns is the loss of our valuable farmland and the threat this poses for the future of our agricultural industry. Governor Parris N. Glendening has introduced House Bill 507 and Senate Bill 388 entitled, ‘“Smart Growth’ and Neighborhood Con servation - Rural Legacy Pro gram,” as part of his “Smart Growth” initiative. This program will serve to ac celerate Maryland’s efforts to pur chase voluntary easements on contiguous tracts of agricultural, forest, and environmentally sensi tive areas before they are perman ently lost to development and ur- To Understand Hitching To A Tractor When a tractor is pulling a load, its Tear tires are pushing against the ground. The backward and down ward pulling of the load results in the rear axle becoming a pivot point. The load being pulled acts as a force trying to tip the tractor backward. The angle of pull that is created between the ground’s surface and the attachment plane of the chain, draw bar or other attaching method is critical. The wider the angle is. the more likely the tractor could tip over backwards. As the hitching point onto the tractor moves furth er off the ground, the wider the angle of pull. To Hitch To Tractors Properly To prevent tractors from tipping ova- backwards and causing seri ous injuries or even death, it is important to hitch a load properly to a tractor. When the hitching point is low, the tractor will either stall or the tires will slip. If the hitching point is high, the tractor will act like a winch trying to wrap the chain or hitching device around the tractor axle. When the tractor has suffi cient power and traction, it will tip ban sprawl. I emphasize “purchase” be cause landowners will be compen sated and “voluntary” because easements will only be purchased after agreements between the landowner and local government This will serve as a safeguard in protecting the equity of one’s property. The Rural Legacy Program will be funded by re-allocating exist ing State funds from the State’s portion of Program Open Space and General Obligation Bonds to provide funds for acquisitions in focus areas. Under this program, funds will be made available on a competitive basis to counties or groups of counties willing to focus their efforts to protect large and important concentrations or agri cultural or other natural lands from sprawl development The end result of the proposed program is a commitment of $163 million to preserve more than 90,000 acres within the next five years. As the success of this pro ffurn to Page A 39) over backwards. When trying to pull heavy loads or objects which are fastened like a trunk, it is important to remember to hitch as low as possible on the tractor. Even if the load is Dmov ing, a low hitching point is critical if die object being pulled could suddenly stop. A good example of this is a log which could suddenly dig into the ground. If the tractor is moving at 5 miles per hour, it would take less than 3/10,000 of a second for the tractor to roll up to a vertical posi tion and continue over backwards. To Select Garden Seeds According to Dr. Tim Elkner, extension horticultural agent, one of the most important traits to look for in flower or vegetable seeds is disease resistance. Read the individual seed variety descriptions closely for mention of resistance to disease, or look for capitid letters such as F or V next to w BY LAWRENCE W ALTHOUSE f !BOI§EyS ARE YOU “GOOD NEWS”? March 2, 1997 ARE YOU